This invention relates to integrated semiconductor devices and systems, and more particularly to features used in an electronic digital processing system of the single-chip microprocessor or microcomputer form.
A microprocessor device is a central processing unit or CPU for a digital processor which is contained in a single semiconductor integrated circuit, usually fabricated by "MOS/LSI" technology, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,306 issued to Gary W. Boone and assigned to Texas Instruments. The Boone patent shows an 8-bit CPU on a chip including a parallel ALU, registers for data and addresses, an instruction register and a control decoder, all interconnected using a bidirectional parallel bus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,351, issued to Gary W. Boone and Michael J. Cochran, assigned to Texas Instruments, shows a single-chip "microcomputer" type device which contains a 4-bit parallel ALU and its control circuitry, with on-chip ROM and RAM for program and data storage. The term microprocessor usually refers to a device employing external memory for program and data storage, while the term microcomputer refers to a device with on-chip ROM and RAM for program and data storage; the terms are also used interchangeably, however, and are not intended as restrictive as to this invention.
Subsequent to 1971 when U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,757,306 and 4,074,351 were originally filed, many improvements have been made in microprocessors and microcomputers to increase the speed and capability of these devices and reduce the cost of manufacture, providing more circuitry in less space, i.e., smaller chip size. Improved photolithographic techniques allow narrower line widths and higher resolution, providing added circuit density, but circuit and system improvements also contribute to the goals of increased performance with smaller chip size. Some of these improvements in microprocessors are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents, all assigned to Texas Instruments: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,991,305 issued to Edward R. Caudel and Joseph H. Raymond Jr.; 4,156,927 issued to David J. McElroy and Graham S. Tubbs; 3,934,233 issued to R. J. Fisher and G. D. Rogers; 3,921,142 issued to J. D. Bryant and G. A. Hartsell; 3,900,722 issued to M. J. Cochran and C. P. Grant; 3,932,846 issued to C. W. Brixey et al; 3,939,335 issued to G. L. Brantingham, L. H. Phillips and L. T. Novak; 4,125,901 issued to S. P. Hamilton, L. L. Miles, et al; 4,158,432 issued to M. G. VanBavel; 3,757,308 and 3,984,816.
Additional examples of microprocessor and microcomputer devices in the evolution of this technology are described in publications. In Electronics, Sept. 25, 1972, p. 31-32, a 4-bit P-channel MOS microcomputer with on-chip ROM and RAM is shown which is similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,305. Two of the most widely used 8-bit microprocessors like that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,306 are described in Electronics, Apr. 18, 1974 at pp. 88-95 (the Motorola 6800) and pp. 95-100 (the Intel 8080). A microcomputer version of the 6800 is described in Electronics, Feb. 2, 1978 at pp. 95-103. Likewise, a single-chip microcomputer version of the 8080 is shown in Electronics, Nov. 25, 1976 at pp. 99-105 and a 16-bit microprocessor evolving from the 8080 is described in Electronics, Feb. 16, 1978, pp. 99-104. Another single-chip microcomputer, the Mostek 3872, is shown in Electronics, May 11, 1978, at pp. 105-110. An improved version of the 6800 is disclosed in Electronics, Sept. 17, 1979 at pp. 122-125, while a 16-bit microprocessor identified as the 68000 which evolved from the 6800 is described in Electronic Design, Sept. 1, 1978 at pp. 100-107.
The technology of integrated circuit design and manufacture has progressed to a point where virtually any electronic system having digital processing or control functions can employ a microcomputer or microprocessor chip. The cost of designing and manufacturing the devices is a limiting factor, however. Semiconductor manufacturing is oriented toward production of large quantities of a single device type, rather than production of a few of many different specialty items, and so to be economical a chip design must be adaptable for a wide variety of uses, not only by changing the ROM code but also by providing many input/output options and similar features. Thus, a device as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,305 has been manufactured in quantities of millions of units for many different electronic calculators, electronic games, appliance controllers, and the like. Not only the semiconductor manufacturing cost is minimized by use of the same device, but also the design cost is minimized because very little circuit design is needed (only external to the chip) and the programming effort employs an instruction set and commonly-used subroutines and algorithms in which a high level of experience is acquired. Nevertheless, the design cost for using a microcomputer device in a new application may be prohibitive even though only assembly language programming is needed, this software cost is unduly high because of the number of different and incompatable programming languages used on the wide variety of device types.
It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved microcomputer or microprocessor device which is adaptable for a wide variety of uses but yet is constructed to facilitate low-cost manufacture and to minimize programming costs.
Another object is to provide a microcomputer device that is more flexible in the variety of different uses that can be programmed into a standard chip type. In particular, it is an object to provide a microcomputer device, in which the amount of microcoding employed in instruction execution can be varied without changing any masks in the manufacturing process other than a gate mask.